Three games in, and the jury is still out on the 2005 Cyclones. Good team with a couple of bad nights? Bad team with one perfect effort against a rival?
Much of ISU's win over Army left the observer wanting more: More effort, more heart, more execution of what ISU wants to do well. ISU was simply outplayed for much of the game, yet pieced together opportunities to eek out a win. They exerted themselves at the right times and the right ways to get the win, just as they did against Illinois State.
Like the win over Iowa, I view this from the "The Glass Is Half Full" section of the stadium. Cyclone teams of the past would have wilted before the cadets and lost going away, tumbling from the ranked to the just rank, and simmering in their own gutless juice to a 4-7 finish. This Cyclone unit overcame an inspired Army team, the pressure of national TV, and their own bad road and halftime-deficit history to win the game. The victory was earned through defensive pressure and opportunistic offensive play.
Good teams overcome bad nights. So far, we have seen the extremes of how ISU can play, and they are 3-0 headed into Lincoln. They have found the way to win. Hopefully the good game/bad game trend follows form and ISU is lights out at Nebraska.
Until proven otherwise, this ISU squad is unlike their predessors: They win even when they shouldn't.
Peterclone
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